What good dwelling is actually full with out self-opening curtains? In films, computerized curtains often sign that we’re sooner or later (or that the protagonist is approach too wealthy). With the SwitchBot Curtain, you will get a bit of style of the great life by automating your curtains to open and shut with the solar or in your most popular schedule. Pick up a SwitchBot Hub and you may even inform your most popular good assistant to open the curtains when you lounge in mattress.
The promise of daylight gently waking you and curtains that mechanically near hold issues cozy at night time is thrilling, however there’s a worth. A single SwitchBot Curtain Rod 2 prices $99, and also you want two for a pair of curtains. A SwitchBot Remote is $19, and the SwitchBot Mini Hub is $39. Altogether, it is comparable with the shallow finish of the motorized curtain market, however SwitchBots may be retrofitted to your present curtains shortly and simply with none drilling or want for an influence outlet.
This is the second-generation SwitchBot. I tried the original last year and located it flawed, however the firm has made a number of enhancements that make this good gizmo a worthwhile addition to your own home.
Curtain Call
Courtesy of SwitchBot
The unique Switchbot had totally different variations you might purchase for various kinds of curtains, however the revamped mannequin solely applies to straightforward rods. (There have been app updates that do apply to all fashions.) I’ve light-weight ring-top curtains with a uniform rod. The unique SwitchBot Curtain Rod had a single clamp to go excessive of the rod, however the brand new model has two separate clamps that clip neatly into the bot physique, which hangs after the primary ring in your curtains. (It nonetheless may not work with all curtain varieties.)
The SwitchBot app guides you thru the setup course of, which is now a lot simpler to comply with. You connect with the bots by way of Bluetooth in your cellphone and calibrate the open and closed positions. Pick “open in the middle,” and you might be prompted so as to add them as a pair, so that they open and shut collectively. I used to be pleasantly stunned to see that the newly designed Curtain Rod 2 opens and closes my curtains easily and persistently, which wasn’t the case with the unique.
You can schedule the curtains to open mechanically at set occasions, with totally different schedules for weekdays and weekends, or you possibly can have them open and shut when the solar rises and units. Begin to open or shut them by hand, and the motor kicks in and finishes the job for you. You can even use the app to open your curtains, and there’s a slider in order for you them partially open. This is a nitpick, however the app takes a number of seconds to load after which one other few seconds to reply, which is annoying.
If you need to get probably the most out of your SwitchBot Curtains, you will must make a number of additional purchases. The two-button SwitchBot Remote ($19) affords a easy option to open and shut them, although it actually needs to be included with the SwitchBot itself. To use voice instructions by way of Google Assistant, Alexa, or Siri, or to arrange automation by way of IFTTT, you want a SwitchBot Mini Hub ($39). I exploit Google Assistant, and it really works flawlessly. Voice command is my favourite approach of opening and shutting the curtains; it feels opulent to have your digital butler draw the drapes.
It does run off a battery, however you will solely must cost them as soon as each few months by way of the USB-C port on the again. Alternatively, you possibly can snag a SwitchBot Solar Panel ($19), which plugs into the again of the SwitchBot, or you possibly can connect them to your curtains with adhesive-backed Velcro. Smart!
